Gardens of the Moon/Chapter 22
Gadrobi Hills Raest ] Raest has driven two of the black dragons away from the battlefield, while two others still circle around in the sky. He has Silanah on the run and he knows that she is injured and hurting. Raest exults in the power that he has and the destruction he has wrought. As he tracks Silanah, he destroys a stone guardhouse containing creatures taller than Imass (presumably humans) so that they won't be a distraction, then a man and his horse who happen to be riding close, just because he is irritated by their presence. By now, Raest's body is completely shredded to pieces but he is surrounded and held together by his Omtose Phellack sorcery. He expects Silanah to ambush him again beyond the next hill's summit but finds her regarding him from some distance, steadily, without the presence of her Warren. Thinking it to be her surrender, he moves towards her. As he does so, the landscape in front of him changes and he finds himself in a vision before the time of even the Jaghut. He meets Kruppe, who proclaims that Raest has not aged well and that this is his, Kruppe's dream. Raest attacks but Kruppe appears in another place to the side tutting him. Hearing a sound, Raest turns around and finds himself attacked by Tool who rips the Tyrant's shoulder away with his flint sword, the blow slicing through ribs and sternum. K'rul then appears and confronts Raest, telling him that he is not invulnerable. K'rul offers Raest a choice, to fall by the sword of the First Sword of the T'lan Imass empire, or accompany K'rul to the gates of Chaos, both a better fate than to meet death at the hand of Silanah's master. Raest, however, chooses to transfer himself to another body that he has already found, evading Kruppe, Tool and K'rul. Darujhistan Paran Paran and Kalam are in Simtal's garden. Paran feels something very unnatural and heavy in the garden. He feels as if the garden is isolated from any and all environments, and everything is slow and heavy on all sides. Paran sees a young girl standing before a large block in Simtal’s garden. Next thing Kalam rises behind her and attacks the girl with his knives. She moves in a blur, her elbow catching Kalam in his stomach and her knee hitting his mid-section, knocking him to the ground. Paran moves forward to attack her with his sword, but stops when, in a girlish voice, she begs him not to. Kalam is surprised to recognise Sorry. She responds that she thinks she should know him, but when Paran comes near, she remembers that she killed the Captain and is upset by the thought. Enraged, Paran again moves to attack, but Kalam asks him to hold back, now suspicious that something about her isn't right. Their attention is drawn to the fact that the block is growing and Sorry comments that it is made of wood and has roots. Following a hunch, Paran then goes to collect Mallet. Before leaving with him, tells Whiskeyjack about the oddness of Sorry's behaviour and that there is something else, something 'ugly'. The Sergeant tells him that if they are unable to contact the Guild, they will let Fiddler and Hedge loose. Rallick Rallick encounters Kruppe but is startled to find that for once, the man is extremely serious and not in a mood to joke around. Kruppe seems to be talking to himself, saying in a strange voice, 'be on your way friend' and something about the new world being more than equal to the might of Raest, and that the new developments will take care of the Tyrant. Rallick assumes Kruppe is drunk and continues on, freshly beset with doubts regarding Coll's will to make it back into the council. As he is walking, he is intercepted by a lady wearing a silver mask, who he recognizes to be Vorcan, Master of the Guild of Assassins. Thinking that he is to be punished for his involvement in the events, especially the assassination of Ocelot, he tells her he awaits the punishment of the Guild. Vorcan though, commenting that his imperiousness to Ocelot's magic is curious, asks him to accompany her towards the garden. Crokus Having dragged her to one side, Crokus has a conversation with Challice and it transpires that she did not betray him after all, that her father hired a Seer who established that the guard had been killed by a woman, a servant of The Rope. She is however in love with someone else, Gorlas Vidikas. Additionally, Crokus realizes how different they are and as he is already uncertain about his feelings for her, he asks for her friendship instead. However, they both then makes disparaging comments about each others way of life and part acrimoniously. Crokus, hoping Apsalar stayed in place, heads towards the garden. Paran Mallet won't set foot in the glade as the thing growing there is anathema to his Denul Warren so he asks for the girl to come to him at the edge. He reports to Paran that the possession is now definitely gone, confirming Paran's suspicions, but that there is a presence of another being, a Seer who has been protecting the girl's mind from the actions that she committed as Sorry under the influence of the Rope. He wants to further help this entity, a female, but is afraid that ultimately, she might have designs of controlling the girl herself. Based on what Mallet currently senses of this entity, they agree that he should chance it. The three of them then hide in the shadows when they hear Kalam ordering someone to show themselves, and watch a man and a woman enter the glade. Crokus Looking for Apsalar, Crokus comes across three people in a glade, one of whom he recognises as Rallick. He overhears them discussing the odd blurry stump in the glade and is shocked to discover that the woman is Vorcan, the Master of the Assassin's Guild, and the other man a Malazan spy. Vorcan asks Rallick to approach the block as he seems unaffected by its aura and his approach seems to halt the growth. Rallick puts it down to the Otataral dust he rubbed into his skin. Vorcan senses the presence of others and asks for them to come forward. Crokus recognises Apsalar who seems drugged, accompanied by two men. The Malazan spy, a Bridgeburner called Kalam, then offers Vorcan a contract on behalf of the Malazan Empire, for the Guild to take out the true rulers of Darujhistan, the mages who are operating covertly. The offer is one hundred thousand Golden Jakatas for each assassination, to be delivered by Warren upon completion, and the title of High Fist with all its privileges. Vorcan suggests to execute the contract in person as only a High Mage will be able to stand up to the nine members of the T'orrud Cabal. Before she commits herself however, she wants to know about the approaching creature as she has sensed that it has been opposed by five dragons for a time, which can only mean that Baruk has made a deal with the Son of Darkness. Looking taken aback by this news for a moment, Kalam reassures her that she will not be expected to deal with Rake and that given past events, the Tiste Andii is likely to pull out rather than facing the Empire alone. He also assures her that come what may, Laseen, as a former assassin herself, abides by the rules of conduct amongst them. Vorcan agrees with his assessment of Rake and accepts the contract. She then asks Rallick to stay close to the strange block so that he can counter it for the time being until she returns as her instincts tell her that it is important to stifle its growth. Crokus is shocked by Rallick's apparent disloyalty towards Darujhistan and hesitates to announce his presence once the others have left, however, Rallick has detected him and beckons him to come forward. He tells Crokus that he has to remain with the alien stump to stifle its growth and that it is up to Crokus to warn Baruk that Vorcan is a High Mage and is coming after the T'orrud Cabal. He informs Crokus that, Mammot, is also a member of the Cabal and to go to him if he can't find Baruk. Hearing of the threat to his uncle, Crokus agrees. At that moment they hear terrifying sounds coming from the terrace to which the stump responds with burst of fire and a swelling of roots. As Rallick throws himself on the stump, calming some of the responses, Crokus runs towards the estate. Quick Ben At the terrace, Paran has just told Whiskeyjack and Quick Ben that Vorcan has accepted the contract when Quick Ben sees a large woman approaching an old man wearing a ghastly mask who is coming towards them. At that moment, the man is hit in the chest by a wave of energy, there is a bestial roar, the man's mask is torn away and he turns towards the woman raising his arms. Quick Ben has sprung into action the moment the energy wave has struck and manages to throw the woman to the ground thus preventing both of them being hit by the surge of power now coming from the old man which incinerates and destroys everyone and everything in its path. One lance of energy strikes Paran's sword and the Captain vanishes from sight. Whiskeyjack is struck by falling masonry, which breaks his leg. When Fiddler drags him to safety, the Sergeant blacks out. Quick Ben and the woman he saved, attack the old man, whom they recognise as being Jaghut possessed, with sorcery. When the woman has exhausted her power, she tells Quick that is up to him to confront the man whom she names as Mammot. Paran Paran finds himself in an unfamiliar landscape on the shore of a lake. He sees an Azath House rise from the lake as a T'lan Imass with a two-handed, chalcedony sword battles, what looks like a tree shaped, tusked monster. Despite his incredible skills, the T'lan Imass is losing the battle and a blow from his opponent brings him to rest in front of Paran. He tells the Captain that the Azath house is still too young to take that which called it into being, and that it is up to Paran now to hold the Finnest long enough for the Azath to mature. The Finnest easily counters Paran's attack but its attempt to destroy him awakens the Hound in his blood and he repels it with ease. Paran is stopped from shredding the Finnest completely to pieces by the T'lan Imass who informs him that he has held it long enough for the Azath to gain strength. The roots of the Azath then take the Finnest. Quick Ben Even as Paran reappears, Quick Ben unveils seven Warrens and attacks Mammot. Despite this awesome display of power, the Jaghut possessed still resists. The woman, named Derudan, draws Quick's attention to the approaching Hedge. Seeing the arbalest in the man's hand and recognising the manic glaze in his eyes, Quick Ben tackles Derudan once more. Crone Having observed Raest disappear when he had almost reached Silanah, Crone and the dragons wonder what has happened to the Tyrant. Something draws Silanah's attention westward and Crone shrieks in anticipation as she sees what the dragon has seen. Quick Ben The detonation of the Moranth munition has created a huge hole where Mammot had stood. Kalam approaches and tells Quick Ben that nevertheless, something is moving down in the crater. They see a shape forming at the bottom of the pit and think themselves lost but it is taken by roots before it can do anything about it. Quick Ben and Derudan are astonished to hear of the existence of the Azath. Derudan hurries away, thanking Quick Ben for saving her life twice. Hedge and Fiddler head off to blow the munitions. Moments later Kalam realizes what has been bothering him... that the intersections lie over the main valves of the cities gas supply. He takes off after them to stop the Saboteurs from blowing up the entire city. de:Die Gärten des Mondes/Kapitel 22 22